The Masquerade Game
by Decadent Decay
Summary: LUFFYxOC: A few masks, a masquerade, and couple of pirates. That's all it takes for a simple game to turn all of the tables.  Oneshot, but with two different versions.
1. Original Version

**Hello!**

**Umm, first off I would like to say that this is one of my first attempts at writing/ posting something related to One Piece. I wrote this a while back so I'm not sure how good it is but I'd figure I'd give it a shot. It has an oc in it that is described on my profile. It may seem slightly confusing to please feel free to ask me any questions.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece**

* * *

**Emi's POV:**

As Chopper and Robin paid for their books (some of which were mine that Robin had volunteered to pay for), I stood by the door, examining the many ads and fliers decorating the doorway. Unsurprisingly, one of the f the more decorated ones caught my eye. Blowing bubbles absentmindedly with my gum, I read it over.

Robin and Chopper were now walking out the door, so I grabbed an extra from the windowsill and took a few running strides to catch up with them.

"Oi, Robin, Chopper, check this out," I said, handing the ornate piece of paper to Robin, who scanned it curiously.

Chopper, who had been reading over her shoulder, looked up at the two of us and asked, "What's a Masquerade?"

Robin smiled and replied, "It's a huge ball where everyone dresses up and wears a mask."

I watched the young doctor's mouth set into a scared little frown.

"It sounds scary," He finally stated.

"Not at all," I said, trying to soothe him. "The masks just make it into a game. You have to try and figure out who's who."

Robin glanced at the piece of paper and said, "Apparently, a massive masquerade is being held in two days. That would explain all of the dress shops and vendors selling masks around here."

"Sounds fun, doesn't it?" I inquired, hoping they said yes.

Before they could reply, Luffy ran up with Zoro and Nami trailing irritably behind him.

"What sounds fun?" He asked enthusiastically, looking from person to person.

Robin casually told him about the Masquerade and calmly explained what it was when he asked. When she was finished, Luffy was without a doubt, ecstatic.

"Yosh!" Luffy exclaimed, slapping a fist into his palm, "In two days, we're all going to a masquerade!"

I laughed a little as Luffy babbled on. It was funny how excited he could get over something he just found out about.

"But if the point is to figure out who your friends are, wouldn't it be ruined if we all went together anyways?" Zoro grumbled, clearly not very fascinated like the rest of us.

There was a silence for a moment or two until Nami spoke up.

"We'll each leave at different times! And we'll draw sticks with the times written on them so that no one else will know what time the others leave!"

"What about Brooke? Do you honestly think that a skeleton won't stick out?" He shot back.

"That's easy," I replied, grinning, "Throw a full face mask and some gloves on and no one will notice the difference."

Thankfully, Zoro couldn't come up with another argument after that and we all headed back to the ship to tell the others about the news.

* * *

Two Days Later:

I glanced at the clock and saw that I had five minutes before it was time for me to leave.

After lacing on my strappy silver heels, I stood up to take one more look in the mirror. My off-the-shoulder dress started in a bluish-silver color (with the bodice covered in silver lace) and trailed down until it shifted into a striking midnight blue. The flowing hem was cut in a jagged yet elegant pattern and trimmed with silver lace. My hair was curled unusually well (as I always managed to screw it up somehow) and my silver lace fingerless gloves covered the tattoo on the inside of my wrist surprisingly well.

Last but not least, was my mask. It was midnight blue with silver glitter gracing the edges. After I bought it, I had added strings of crystal-like blue and silver beads to the mask to make it more unique.

As I snuck out of my room and made my way to the ball, I vaguely thought about how lucky I was to find something this beautiful on such short notice. I wasn't really concerned about finding my nakama, because most of them were pretty easy to spot, if not from their appearances then by their actions.

The ballroom that was being used was breathtaking, with shimmering lights adding to the light cast by the grand chandelier hanging overhead. Colossal windows took up most of the wall space and the windows that were actually glass doors were opened wide to reveal paths leading to garden terraces.

I milled through the crowd for a while, spotting most of my nakama easily and laughing as the music switched from fast dance music, to classical, and back again.

When yet another classical piece began to play, there was a tap on my shoulder. Turning my head around, I was met by a friendly smile with a white mask, classy black suit, and a mess of onyx hair. There was no doubt in my mind that it was Luffy. No one else had a smile as warm as that.

He offered his hand and I took it, suddenly finding myself being pulled to the dance floor. I had watched the other people previously so I pretty much knew the steps, and, judging by the way he took hold of my waist and joined in; Luffy had apparently done so too.

At the end of the song, I found that it was beginning to get hot and stuffy in here. Two things that were never a pleasant combo.

"Would you like to go for a walk?" He asked, his voice immediately confirming that it was, in fact, Luffy.

I nodded instead of speaking, deciding to play a game with him instead of letting him recognize me by my voice.

On our way out, I grabbed a couple of drinks for us. We drifted through the gardens for a while and I noticed that Luffy still hadn't let go of my hand.

When we stopped walking, we found ourselves standing by a large fountain enclosed by walls of rose bushes and twinkling lights laced through wooden grids. The air was refreshing and cool and the gleaming moon supplied plenty of pale light.

"So what's your name?" Luffy asked casually, taking my drink and placing the glass next to his on the fountain wall.

I pressed my finger to my lips and winked to tell him that is was a secret.

"Can I see your face then?" He persisted. I smiled shook my head no. Although he got an A for effort, I refused to give in that easily.

"So you're a Mystery Woman then?" I shrugged. My smile grew slightly and he grinned.

"Shishishi…I can deal with that…"

After he trailed off, it finally came to my realization just how close he was. There wasn't even time for me to gasp before he tugged me forward and met my lips with his.

I looked into his eyes to find them closed and soon mine did the same.

I began to wonder why Luffy of all people would be kissing me. But that was when something occurred to me: Luffy didn't know it was me. Panic flooded over me and my mind raced through countless answers to the question: How would Luffy react if he knew it was me? To be honest, I had no idea anymore.

'Oh, shit.'

Just as I felt like I was going to drown in my worry, Luffy let go of my hand and slid his arms around my waist, pulling me firmly against him. All coherent thought left me and all that was left was the heat from is hands and the startling softness of his chapped lips. My hands moved by themselves to his face to deepen this kiss as I tried to memorize the taste of him.

My state of bliss came to a crashing halt when the loud gong of the clock indicated that midnight had come and that the Masquerade was coming to a close.

"We have to go," He breathed, touching our foreheads together.

I nodded and took his hand, leading the way back inside. Just outside the ballroom, he stopped me and pressed his lips briefly to mine.

"Goodnight, Mystery Woman," Luffy said, smirking as he turned and disappeared through the crowd.

It took a few calming breaths before my brain would function again, let alone allow me to join the crowd. But even though my brain was working, I was in a daze the whole walk back to the ship.

Since I wanted to see how long it took for my nakama to figure out who I was, I had already planned an alternate route back to the Thousand Sunny so no one would see me walking back to the ship in my dress. This ultimately led to me being the first one back, and allowed my mind too much time to replay the night's events.

* * *

The next day, my nakama and I took turns trying to figure out who was who last night. Luckily for me, no one could figure out which person had been me.

"By the way Captain-san," Robin commented later in the conversation, "Who was the girl you went to the gardens with?"

Everyone looked at Luffy with mixed shock and curiosity while my stomach tightened rather painfully.

Luffy grinned like a little kid who had a secret. "Shishishi…She's a mystery woman."

After breakfast, everyone went their separate ways to enjoy our last day in town. I enjoyed myself, but every time I passed Luffy on the streets, he would flash me that same smirk he had last night.

That afternoon, it was my turn for guard duty on the ship. I sat in the shade of the tree, desperately trying to figure out if Luffy knew that the girl he kissed last night was me. I tried to tell myself that if he had known, he would have said it to the crew, but that damn smirk kept shattering my determination to believe this.

The rustling of leaves reached my ears. I looked up just in time to see Luffy fall out of the tree and do a face plant front of me.

"Hey Luffy, nice of you to drop in," I commented airily with a grin that I hoped appeared normal.

Luffy didn't say anything in response. He simply sat in front of me and stared me down with that hellish smirk. Dammit! That boy was going to drive me berserk! (Yes, berserk. My crew has already made me insane.)

"Alright Luffy, I give up. Why do you keep giving me that look?!" I demanded, sounding terser than I normally did when I was upset.

My captain's smirk widened into a wicked grin as he answered simply, "Because I know."

At those words, my mind spun so out of control that I hardly noticed Luffy grabbing my hands and the only thing I could think of was to play dumb.

I gulped, then blurted out, "Know what?"

Luffy frowned and pressed his forehead to mine to force my gaze to his.

"Emi, don't lie about it. We both know that I'm not the type to go around kissing strangers."

When I heard him say that, I gasped and frantically tried to pull away, but Luffy pressed my hands to the tree trunk to keep me still. (Something I would've given him credit for any other time as that is normally a very hard thing to do)

With a shaky breath, I gave up the act and huffed, "How'd you figure it out?"

Luffy's smirk was back yet again, this time with a spark of happiness and amusement dancing in his eyes.

"Your eyes mostly. But the part that made me positive was your smile. I've never seen anyone with a smile like yours."

Now that it was clear that Luffy was okay with everything, I allowed myself to blush, giving him an amused smile as I asked, "So why didn't you tell me you knew last night?"

"Shishishi. It was a fun game and I didn't want to ruin it," He answered, his grin never faltering as he paused and then continued, "But now that I don't have to worry about you pretending to run away, I can do this."

Before I could even begin to comprehend what he meant, Luffy was kissing me again, much more powerfully than he had the last time. For a moment I was dazed before noticing that Luffy was trying to get a reaction from me, which I quickly provided.

All too soon, we were both out of breath and, chest heaving, I forced myself to unhinge my open mouth and tongue from Luffy's, who then began to claim my neck for himself. At this point, I slipped my hands from his to wrap my arms around his neck to pull him closer.

As Luffy played with my neck to his satisfaction, I tried to seize his attention (while attempting not to jump every time he bit me). I had to say his name a few times before I finally got a distracted 'hm?'"

"Luffy, we have to stop now. The others will be back soon," I explained, lifting his chin to make him look at me.

Luffy pouted some, but then he mumbled a small 'fine' in response. He then began taking some of my hair and arranging it over my shoulder. When I looked at him questioningly, he grinned deviously and said, "If we don't want them to know, we should cover the marks on your neck."

When our nakama came back, we were lying in the sun, making pictures with the clouds. At dinner, they once again attempted to find out who I was at the masquerade and who Luffy had led outside. We kept both these pieces of information a secret. After all, just because we knew the answers, it didn't mean we couldn't make a game out of keeping it from out nakama.

* * *

**Well, there you have it. Like I said before, I wrote this a long time ago and its just kind of a test run to see if I should do a story about my oc. I felt like its kind of hard to get a full grip on what she's like in this one shot because I wasn't very experienced with characterization when I wrote this. Oh, and sorry if anyone was OOC!**

**So please, review/pm me and tell me what you think!**

**~seeking fireflies**


	2. New Version!

**Well, after receiving several different comments about characterization and whatnot, I decided to revamp this oneshot. Although, after going through the old version, I decided I couldn't really stand it and restarted from scratch. So here's hoping that this version is to your liking. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own One Piece. **

* * *

The manor containing the masquerade ball could be described as nothing less than grandiose. The high vaulted ceiling of the main ballroom was adorned with vividly colored banners and the entire room was set ablaze by a combination of thousands of candles held by golden chandeliers and a series of strategically placed mirrors. The countless side parlors were decorated in a myriad of ways, consistent only in their use of fine materials, and outside there was a large courtyard surrounded by a maze of hedges, all of which were lit with twinkling lights.

On one side of the grand ballroom was a row of booths and tables raised up on a platform where people ate and drank merrily. The other borders of the room were taken up by people mingling and the orchestra, whose members sat rigidly upright and played formal, but enjoyable, music. The majority of the floor space had been consumed by people dancing to the live music. Seemingly wealthy partygoers were everywhere. The manor was practically dripping with women wearing fine dresses and even finer jewelry and men in expensive suits, potentially hiding large wallets within their pockets. All of these people were, of course, wearing masks while enjoying the atmosphere and the scintillating thought that the person they were speaking to may not actually be who they thought it was. Of course, all of this merry-making made them perfectly at ease. No one would expect to suddenly lose their wallet or a piece of nice jewelry…

With a firm shake of her head, Nami dispelled any ideas she had of looting the masquerade. She needed to focus; there was an entire month of chores at stake here.

Upon arriving on this little, but apparently well off, island, the Strawhat Pirates had discovered that a masquerade was being held for anyone who wished to come. While some of the pirates were ready and willing to go on the spot, others required a little more motivation. As a result, the Masquerade Game was born. The Strawhats made a deal that everyone would go to the ball separately, so that no one could find out who was who on the way there. After that, the goal was to find as many of their crewmates as possible without letting someone else find you first. The last pirate standing would have their chores done for them by the rest of the crew for an entire month. Not a bad prize by any means. The crew had even been serious enough about their game to create a set of rules for it:

_Rules for the Masquerade Game__  
1) To get someone out, you must go up to them and say their name.  
2) Once you are out, you must take your mask off.  
3) If you are out, you cannot get someone else out.  
4) The last one wearing a mask wins the game._

With a slight frown on her lips, Nami smoothed her backless maroon dress impatiently. Glancing at the ornate clock on the wall for the fifth time that evening, she decided that the entire crew had most likely arrived.

Which meant: let the game begin.

Nami scanned and scrutinized every face in the crowded hall from her spot near the top of the grand staircase. Almost immediately she spotted a familiar head of green hair. Perfect: her favorite indebted swordsman. Nami smiled to herself and didn't waste any time in rushing down the stairs and approaching the man, leaning casually against the wall beside him when she did.

Zoro stood stiffly with his arms crossed and his eyes closed behind his plain black mask. His lips were curved downward in a tight frown, furthering the message that he really didn't want to be there, let alone in a black monkeysuit forced onto him by a certain swirly browed chef. For a long time, the swordsman didn't acknowledge Nami's presence. It wasn't until the redhead's patience had run dry and she was about to yell at him that he spoke.

"I'm not going to ask you to dance if that's what you want," He said gruffly, still not opening his eyes.

A sly smile fixed itself on Nami's face as she replied, "Actually, _Zoro_, I was hoping to collect some of the money you owe me."

Zoro went rigid for a second before he whipped around to face Nami, eyes bulging in surprise.

"You…" He hissed, narrowing his eyes at the smug looking woman.

"Rules are rules, Zoro," Nami teased, "You lose."

With a huff of aggravation, Zoro pulled off his mask, grumbling something about "damn women" and their "tricks."

Apparently Zoro's mutterings hadn't been as quiet as he had thought because they caught the attention of a large man who was passing by. The man stopped and looked at the two inquisitively before speaking in a voice much too high for one of his size.

"Damn woman? Nami?"

The red haired woman blinked in confusion for a second before she recognized the reindeer doctor in his human form. Once she did, she tore her decorated mask off to unleash all of her fury on her purple tailcoat-clad nakama.

"Chopper! You just made me lose, damn it!" She screeched.

"I'm sorry!" Chopper wailed, turning on his heels and running away to safety, leaving a seething Nami and an exasperated Zoro in his wake.

* * *

Chopper didn't stop running until he ran into someone in one of the side chambers, knocking them both to the ground. The reindeer only continued to wail, not noticing that he was on top of someone until he heard his name.

"Oi, oi, Chopper, what's wrong?"

Upon recognizing the voice, the reindeer jumped up in relief and exclaimed, "Usopp! Nami's really scary when she's angry! She yelled at me because I got her out and—wait a second, I'm out now too, aren't I?"

"Uh, yeah, you are," Usopp said slowly, taken aback by the sudden change of subject.

"And now you are too, Usopp,"

The teasing voice came from right beside the dark haired boy's ear, causing him to shout briefly as he jumped away from the source of the voice and into Chopper's arms, sending them both hurtling to the floor once again. Once Usopp was sure he wasn't still at risk for a heart attack, he scrutinized the unknown person. It was a girl in a long, midnight blue dress with her curly black hair tied up and an impish smile on her lips. Usopp wasn't sure who it was until he spotted the violet irises peering at him from through the mask.

"Damn it, Emi, you nearly scared me to death," He sighed, sitting up beside Chopper and sliding his forest green mask up so it rested on top of his head.

"Sorry, couldn't pass up the opportunity," Emi replied, shrugging and grinning shamelessly as she offered her hand to help the pair up. Her grin became a smirk when she noticed a figure pass the doorway behind Usopp and Chopper. "Now if you'll excuse me, I think I just found my next target."

Before either of her nakama could reply, Emi lifted up her the skirt of her dress and bolted through the door, disappearing around the corner. Once she was gone, Usopp and Chopper looked at each other for a moment before shrugging at her behavior and going to see which of their crewmates were out. Or maybe to get some food…

* * *

The side corridor Emi entered was dimly lit. The light from the main hall barely illuminated half of the hallway. It was too dark to distinguish many of her surroundings and she barely had enough time to spot the figure she was following before it disappeared into the shadows at the end of the hall. She made her way to where she last saw it and frowned. Where the hell did he go?

A familiar snicker reached Emi's ears and she whirled around to see a familiar figure bathed in the flickering light of a nearby candle. It was a boy with scruffy black hair who was only slightly taller than Emi. He wore black pants with a red dress shirt rolled up to his elbows and a loosely fastened tie. The edge of a scar peeked out from under one side of the boy's simple white mask and a wide grin was spread across the uncovered part of his face.

Emi couldn't help but smile to herself. If the disheveled appearance didn't give him away, his face-splitting grin certainly did. There was no way this could be anyone but Luffy.

"I've been looking for you," She told him, "Is our secret game still on?"

"Shishishi… yep!"

Without another word, Luffy took Emi by the hand and lead her back into the main ballroom.

* * *

Sanji shoved his hands into the pockets of his black suit and scanned the masked faces around him, letting out a frustrated sigh when his search turned up empty. Three hours had passed and yet he still couldn't find his precious Nami-san. Robin-chan and Emi-chan were nowhere to be found either.

As his eyes continued to scan the multitude of elegantly dressed people, Sanji grew even more frustrated. Suddenly he caught sight of an extremely tall, slim man with an afro standing closely on his right. The man was holding the hand of a lady in pink in one of his own gloved hands and saying something that clearly made the lady uncomfortable. His chivalrous instincts kicking in, Sanji readjusted his black tie and drew closer.

"My dear, may I have the honor of seeing your panties?"

The sentence barely made it out of the man's mouth before he was promptly kicked in the back of the head.

"Brooke!" Sanji seethed, his eyes aflame with rage, "How dare you treat a beautiful lady like that?! They deserve the utmost care and respect."

Brooke laughed lightheartedly and pulled off his bright orange, full-face mask. Neither of them noticed the feminine gasp of shock nor the owner of said voice running away quickly.

"Yohohoho, I guess you found me," Brooke said, unfazed by the blonde chef's anger.

"Damn straight I did!" Sanji shouted, itching to kick the skeleton again, "But what the hell made you think you could say that to a pretty woman? _This_ is how you treat a lady."

Sanji turned to face the lady with hearts in his eyes only to be met with an empty space.

"Eh? Where'd she go?"

"Oh? Did you lose another one, Sanji? You should let me have a go at her next time. The ladies can't resist my charm, OW!"

Sanji and Brooke turned around and were met by a tall, excessively muscled man. Despite the mask, the blue hair and tropical print shirt under the man's barely fitting suit jacket gave him away.

"Oi, oi, don't go questioning my skills with the ladies, Franky," Sanji snapped, pulling his cobalt blue mask off roughly and sending the shipwright a glare.

"Whatever you say, Sanji," Franky replied, laughing heartily and turning to walk away.

"Oh? You're leaving?" Brooke inquired curiously.

"Yeah, I wanna see how many of the others I can find before they find me," Franky answered over his shoulder before slipping between two clumps of people.

* * *

After a few minutes of searching, Franky decided to get out of the crowd in the hopes of getting a better view. Working his way out of the throng, Franky found himself beside the group of tables and booths raised up on a platform which brought the people sitting there to his eye level. Turning away from said booths, he scanned the heads of the masked dancers in front of him. Coming up dry, he placed his hands on his hips and frowned.

"Where could they all be? I wonder if anyone found Zoro or Nami yet," He said, thinking aloud.

"I believe Nami-san found him towards the very beginning. Chopper-san found her shortly after. Anyone else you were looking for, Franky-san?"

Taken aback, the blue haired cyborg whirled around, coming face to face with a tanned, black haired woman. He scrutinized the slyly smiling face that was partially hidden by a simple, violet mask for a moment before realization dawned on him.

"Robin. I should've known," Franky said, shaking his head at himself while removing his black mask that bore a striking resemblance to his usual sunglasses. "What're you doin' in there?" He asked, scratching his head and pointing to the booth Robin was seated in, surrounded by a large group of laughing, but unfamiliar people.

The smile on Robin's masked face grew a little as she replied, "Who would think to look for someone who should be alone among a large group of people? Besides, they are quite hospitable."

As if to prove her point, the group burst into loud laughter. One woman eagerly asked Robin what she thought of the joke while the man on her right offered her more wine. To the careless observer, it would seem as if Robin had known the people her entire life.

"Well they seem pretty friendly," Franking commented, crossing his arms and grinning a bit. "So who's left in the game?"

Robin paused for a minute, swirling the wine in her glass around in thought. "I believe that only Luffy-san, Emi-san, and I are still in the running."

"Eh? No one's found Luffy yet? I thought he'd be the first to go," Franky mused, lifting an eyebrow.

"Unless he and Emi-san are working together," Robin surmised with a sly smile on her lips.

Franky frowned a little and cocked an eyebrow. "Doesn't that seem like cheating to you?" He asked.

"We didn't make any rules against it. Besides, I think it makes the game a bit more exciting," Robin replied, a mischievous glint in her dark eyes.

"If you say so," Franky told her, shrugging his large shoulders, "I'll leave you to it then. Good luck."

With that and a short wave, Franky wandered off into the crowd in search of his other crewmates. Robin watched him disappear before skimming the faces of the masquerade guests. When she spotted a young looking couple near the glass doors, another sly smile appeared on her lips. The game had just gotten more exciting.

* * *

Luffy wove through the crowd of fancy-looking people with Emi in tow. He wasn't entirely sure where he was supposed to go, so they were moving rather aimlessly. He didn't care though; he was having fun. All of the masks made it hard to recognize people. It was like one big mystery party.

Suddenly, someone grabbed Luffy's sleeve, yanking him in the opposite direction. He gave a brief shout of protest before noticing that it was Emi who was holding his sleeve. As she began to lead him a different way, he asked, "Oi, why are we going this way?"

Without stopping, Emi glanced at Luffy, past him, and back again. "Zoro and Nami are heading this way," She told him, keeping her voice low.

A large grin appeared on Luffy's face. "Really? Let's go find them!"

"We can't! The point of the game is to hide from everyone else, remember?" Emi reminded him, resisting the urge to facepalm and hoping that Zoro and Nami didn't hear Luffy's outburst.

Luffy stared at her blankly for a moment before his face lit up. "Oh yeah! I remember now!"

Emi couldn't help but smile at his response. Tugging on his sleeve again, she said, "Exactly. So how about we go hide outside for a while? We can keep playing our secret game that way."

Luffy nodded vigorously in response, and the pair made their way to the set of glass doors that lined the far side of the room. On their way out, Emi grabbed a couple of drinks and Luffy snatched an entire tray of food, both laughing sneakily as they did so.

Within a matter of minutes, the two had cleared the crammed ballroom and were seated on the ledge of a white stone fountain. The fountain resided at the far end of a cobblestone courtyard, which was surrounded by an assortment of flowers and hedges, providing them with an area that was secluded from the main ballroom. Strings of lights and colorful lanterns hung above their heads, casting just enough light on the pair and their surroundings.

While Luffy devoured the tray of food, Emi took the time to kick off her devilish heels. If it had been up to her, she would've worn something much more sensible—and much less painful. But, Nami had insisted, and the temperamental navigator had a way of getting what she wanted.

Glancing over at Luffy, Emi noticed he was choking—albeit quite comically—on the last of the hors d'oeuvres. Stifling a chuckle at his typical behavior, Emi thumped him on the back a couple of times, helping him swallow all of the food. When he did, Luffy breathed a large sigh of relief. Looking over to his nakama, he grinned and said, "Thanks, Emi. I'm glad we're playing this secret game together."

The raven-haired girl couldn't help but grin back at her captain. It was kind of funny: their "secret game" was actually just a strategy to win the Masquerade Game. They would stick together, making sure not to call each other by name, and keep an eye out for anyone else to avoid getting caught. At the end of the night, they'd, hypothetically, be the only ones left in the game. Of course, Luffy wouldn't have been interested in a plan or strategy, so she had to come up with a better way to present it to him. Thus, the secret game was born. And as far as Emi could tell, it was working out so far. They seemed to be some of the only people left in the game.

The fact that she got to spend more time with Luffy didn't hurt either.

Emi handed Luffy one of the glasses of champagne she had snatched and held the other one up. "Me too," She said, grin never faltering, "Cheers to our secret game!"

"Cheers!" Luffy exclaimed enthusiastically, bumping his glass with Emi's. Unfortunately, the delicate glasses couldn't handle Luffy's excitement and shattered into dozens of pieces.

The shards of glass clattered to the floor and the champagne, without a container, splashed onto the surface of the fountain and seeped into the pair's clothes. Luffy and Emi blinked at the newly created mess and then at each other before bursting into unabashed laughter.

It took several minutes before the pair was able to stop laughing, and even then, they were still reveling in the comedy of the situation. However, in their silence, they could hear music from the ballroom drifting softly into the courtyard. Emi swayed in time with the music absentmindedly.

"Oi, do you know how to dance?" Luffy asked suddenly.

"Hm, I know enough to get by. Why?" She replied, looking at her captain curiously.

"Would you teach me?" Luffy asked eagerly, leaning towards her.

Emi's face lit up as she answered, "Sure!"

Emi stood up and walked to a more open area of the courtyard, being careful to avoid stepping on any broken glass. Luffy followed her enthusiastically, a big smile on his face.

"So what do we do first?" Luffy asked, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

Emi's smile stretched a little more. She couldn't help but find his enthusiasm contagious.

"Well, first you have to be in the right position. All you have to do is hold one hand like this," Emi took one of Luffy's hands and held it aloft before continuing, "And then put the other one on my waist."

To emphasize her point, Emi guided Luffy's other hand to her waist before resting her free hand on his shoulder. Luffy held on to her more firmly than she had been expecting. That combined with the heat from his hands caused a shiver to run up Emi's spine. Luffy noticed this and blinked at his nakama questioningly.

"Are you cold?" He asked, a hint of concern in his voice.

Emi opened her mouth to tell him that that wasn't the case, but before she could force the words out, Luffy tugged her closer. Their bodies were nearly touching and the raven haired girl tried desperately to fight the blush that was burning at her cheeks. Didn't he know what he was doing to her?

Of course not, this was Luffy, for Roger's sake.

"Don't worry, I'll keep you warm," Luffy said innocently, that ever-present grin still on his face.

Emi couldn't help but be touched by his genuine concern. He really did want to take care of his nakama.

As she went on to teach Luffy some steps, his brow furrowed in concentration and his tongue poked out of the corner of his mouth. He kept his eyes fixed on the ground, doing his best not to tread on Emi's bare feet. Soon enough, Emi decided he had gotten the basics down and taught Luffy how to do a couple of turns.

"Yosh! I did it!" Luffy shouted excitedly after he finished twirling his partner around.

"Yeah, you did. You're not half bad at this, actually," Emi replied, flashing him a big smile. Luffy's grin only grew at her words.

The two continued talking and soon their dancing slowed until they were only swaying thoughtlessly to the music. Blissfully unaware of their surroundings, neither Emi nor Luffy noticed the pinkish-white flower petals wafting through the air around them, nor the slight itch that had materialized on the center of their backs. They did, however, notice the sudden force exerted on the back of their heads, driving their faces together rather roughly.

A sharp gasp left Emi's lips, but was muffled by Luffy's. The unexpected lip-lock was awkward and slightly uncomfortable, but the overall concept was not lost on Emi. She was kissing her captain! Unintentionally, yes, but still!

The two were forced to stay that way until the pressure on their heads disappeared. Once it did, the two broke apart abruptly, both of them taking a step back. In their shock, Luffy and Emi blurted each other's names simultaneously, sharing wildly confused gazes. Slowly, their alarm began to subside, and Emi took a step closer to Luffy, reaching for his mask. "We both said our names at the same time. I guess that means we both lose," Emi muttered in explanation before gently lifting Luffy's mask off of his head. Luffy quickly did the same to Emi, dislodging a few of her black curls as he did so.

Emi could feel the deep blush burning on her face as Luffy's eyes bored into hers. This was awfully embarrassing, she decided. What was she supposed to do now? Luffy hadn't said anything since it happened. His face was completely blank. What was he thinking?

"What did you think of that, Luffy?" She found herself asking. Emi mentally kicked herself for letting that slip.

Luffy's expression became thoughtful as his brow furrowed in concentration. "Eh? Well, it felt a little weird and it was a really big surprise!" Emi's heart sank a little at his usual, innocently cheerful tone, "But can we do it again?"

It took a moment for his words to sink in, but when they did, Emi's eyes bulged and her mouth hung open in shock. "I… but… what?!" She spluttered, at a loss for words.

"Can we do it again?" Luffy repeated openly, leaning closer to her.

Emi struggled to form an answer that Luffy would understand. "You're only supposed to do that with someone you really like, Luffy. And I mean really like; as more than just nakama even."

"Okay!" Luffy nodded enthusiastically, not backing away an inch.

Emi blinked at her captain's reaction… or lack thereof. Unsure if he really comprehended what she said, she decided to pry a little further.

"You're saying you want to kiss me again, right?" She asked.

"Yeah," Luffy stated bluntly, not a hint of bashfulness crossing his features, unlike Emi, whose blush only intensified.

"Because you really like me?" Emi continued slowly.

"Uh-huh."

"And there's no one else you want to do this to?"

"Nope."

Pursing her lips in thought, Emi stared determinedly at Luffy as she mulled over his answers. Suddenly, it all clicked into place and she had to fight the overwhelming urge to facepalm.

"Why didn't you just say something before? I love you too, idiot," Emi told him, a smile appearing on her face.

A brief laugh escaped Luffy's mouth as he returned her smile. But before he could ask his question yet again, Emi grabbed a hold of the young captain by his shirt and pulled him in for another kiss. Luffy responded enthusiastically, pulling her closer and trying to fight the enormous grin that wanted to form on his face.

Once again, the couple was too lost in each other to notice the flower petals floating through the air.

* * *

When Robin opened her eyes again, she saw the crowded main ballroom of the masquerade rather than the sparsely populated courtyard outside. Taking one last sip of her wine, she found it nearly impossible to fight the cunning smile that graced her lips. This game had paid off even more than she had expected it to. Not only had she successfully rid herself of chores for the next month, but she had also done quite well at playing matchmaker for her oblivious captain and the crewmate that had been not-so-subtly fawning over him for the past several weeks. All it took was one little push.

Bidding her companions for the evening goodbye, Robin set off to find her nakama and inform them that the Masquerade Game was over. And possibly to drop some not-so-delicate hints as to what Luffy and Emi had been up to the entire evening…

* * *

**Well, there you have it: the completely rewritten version of **_**The Masquerade Game.**_** What'd you think? I'd love to hear your thoughts on it. Did you like it better than the old version?**

**Reviews and thoughts are always appreciated; requests are pretty negotiable,  
~Decadent Decay (formerly Seeking Fireflies)**


End file.
